“Oppy and UP Vertical Farms™ have partnered to bring fresh and nutritious greens to the market that will not only last longer but taste infinitely better,” says Aaron Quon, the Executive Director of Berries and Canadian Category Development at Oppy.
Founded in 1858, Oppy is a distributor and marketer of fresh produce in North America and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Oppy has worked with UP Vertical Farms to develop the vertical farming company’s brand and unique packaging, which is expected to hit the grocery shelves this quarter.
Shahram and Bahram Rashti
UP Vertical Farms prides itself on its touch-free facility that enables the production of leafy greens free of direct human contact. The farm now grows multiple varieties which will be available either stand-alone or as a mix.
“We are growing the full spectrum of baby leafy greens in our turnkey facility both as single and mixed varieties, with some custom varieties for certain retailers,” says Bahram Rashti, co-founder of UP Vertical Farms. “The first phase of our facility is approximately 4.700 square meters and can produce 71.000 kilograms per month.”
Together, UP Vertical Farms and Oppy have developed five salad mixes that include POWER UP™ — a power greens mix to elevate salads to the next level, UP & AWAY™ — a delightful spring mix of sweet and colorful lettuces, TOSS UP™ — a chef-inspired 50/50 blend of red and green lettuces, LIVEN UP™ — a zesty selection of flavorful and aromatic arugula, CHOP UP™ — flavorful and sweet baby choi greens, and STAND UP™ — crisp and fresh baby romaine.
The lettuce mixes
UP Vertical Farms reducing Canada’s reliance on US greens
As Bahram explains, the volatility of the US lettuce and leafy green industry creates a huge opportunity for Canadian vertical farms to reduce the country’s reliance on imported greens. Through its partnership with Oppy, UP Vertical Farms aims to become one of the largest vertical farms producing baby leafy greens. Not only will the farm produce volume, but also products whose shelf life can be up to 5-6 weeks, depending on the variety.
“Due to our proprietary growing methods, we can produce baby leafy greens with a 5-6 week shelf life, thus reducing retail shrink and consumer food wastage. We have already begun planning our expansion throughout Canada, the US, and the European Union,” says Bahram.
“Grown using 99% less land, 99% less water, 99% less fertilizer, no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, and producing 350 times greater yield than conventional field-grown greens, we look towards shipping greens to our first retail partner this month,” says Aaron.
For more information:
Bahram Rashti, Co-Founder
UP Vertical Farms
https://upverticalfarms.com
Aaron Quon, Executive Director of Greenhouse and Canadian Category Development
Oppy
https://oppy.com